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There are three reasons for my being very content today. First of all, my brother, Jerry, drove an hour and a half from his home in Peterborough to drop off two boxes of old family photos for me to browse through. These pictures will go back a hundred years to my father’s childhood. There’s a substantial amount of stuff to go through. Another beautiful project to embark upon. 

Secondly, a student/disciple, I hadn’t seen for years, showed up. Mahamantra is from Pickering, east of the city. He cam

It was a pleasure, and always will be—a pleasure—to deliver classes on the science of bhakti. I am in my element as it brings me closer to guru and Krishna. We have begun a new chapter in the study of the Bhagavatam, Canto 10, Chapter 25, where Vasudeva, the father of Krishna, expresses the realizations that his two offspring, Krishna and Balarama, are actually Divine mystics; creators of the world, and pradhana—energies of the world. It was fun to explore this subject.

A second class, by way of

Wow! I got out! Out of the city! What a treat!

With the lockdown culture suddenly lifting some of the restrictions on social gatherings, I’m now about to honour the gesture. One of our members/administrators from Brampton, owns a motel in Orillia, a little over an hour’s drive north of Toronto. Nimai is the owner, and he drove me to the airport to pick up our dear brahmachari monk, Karuna, who has been stuck in India for the past three months.

He looks just fine, only he could use a little more

Corrado cycled over to Allen Gardens, with the mrdunga drum strapped to his back, and waited there for us walkers. This is a new strategy we’re trying. Each night, after our serenade of sorts (musical display at our stairwell facing the public), those on foot will reach a different park, get down on the grass and start chanting away.  Corrado’s lugging the drum by his bicycle saves us time and a burden.

We reached the garden park, which is just across the street from our old temple/ashram, at 18

There are not too many ways to get around in this self-same body without the use of any conveyance. I would say you could walk, run, crawl or swim and that’s about it. Forget about flying by thrusting yourself off a cliff. We just don’t have, as a human, the mechanism to float through the air. The human frame has got its limitations. Oh, how we can admire an eagle in flight or even an earthworm burying through the soil!

The advantage of being a human is the gift of cultivating our spiritual pote

From the Biblical teachings of Psalm 84:10, it is said: “Better is one day in the courts of the Lord than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

The above was quoted to me by one of our resident monks, Hara Kumar—well at least the first line—when I told him that I am enjoying life in the temple ashram. “It is the place of Gopinath (Krishna) and I’m loving it,” I told him. Actually, between the two of us combined, we ha

My phone rang. On the phone’s display I saw the name of my brother—Jerry Vis. I answered.

“How are you, Jerry?”

“Great! You’re walking?” He could hear me pacing, breathing, panting slightly.

“Yes, I am.”

“You’re in Toronto?” he asked.

“Yes, rather grounded, but liking it.”

“What street are you on?”

“Huntley Street; I’m headed for the library on Wellesley. What are you up to?” I asked Jerry.

“I’ve been laying bricks in the laneway.”

“Hard work!”

“It’s okay! Some gardening, biking.”

“Stay away fro

In the last few days, through the medium of Zoom, we have spoken on topics of “Teamwork in Spiritual Life,” “Happiness,” “The Importance of Relationship,” “Worry,” “Grooming a New Generation,” “Samadhi,” “Surrender in Modern Times,” and more. It has been good, especially when the sessions allow for questions and answers. It is the way to stay connected in these times, when travel is frozen, or, at best, thawing.

In any event, nothing is going to stop my walking various distances through the neig

Since I became a monk in the spring of ’73, I’ve made it a practice to have my japa beads (meditation beads) near me. This is how I was trained. My mentor at the time insisted, “Anything can happen at any time! It’s good that your beads can be within reach.” I was also cautioned that Lord Yamaraja, the God of death can appear at night, in your sleep, and with his agents, the Yamadutas, can drag you from your gross body preparing you for a torturous ride.